- Movement
- Manual winding
Overview
Constant force and a deadbeat second
The F.P. Journe Tourbillon Souverain Black Label, reference TN, in platinum on a leather strap with the blackened gold dial and whitened guilloché silver sub-dials. 40 mm and 9.9 mm high, manually wound calibre 1403 in 18K rose gold: tourbillon, remontoir d'égalité and deadbeat seconds.
The Black Label Tourbillon Souverain is the 40 mm platinum execution with a blackened gold dial and whitened guilloché silver sub-dials. F.P. Journe created the Black Label collection for people who already own one of its watches and sold it only in its boutiques and Espaces; this model was produced between 2006 and 2015.
F.P. Journe launched its brand in 1999 with the Tourbillon Souverain, the first model of the Souveraine collection, which the brand describes as the only tourbillon wristwatch with a remontoir. Calibre 1403 is the later construction that added deadbeat seconds to the remontoir and replaced the original. Journe's own history of the constant-force device runs from Jobst Bürgi's clocks in the 15th century through Thomas Mudge and Robert Robin, and he counts the Tourbillon Souverain as its first appearance in a wristwatch.
A remontoir d'égalité puts a small secondary spring between the mainspring and the escapement. The mainspring rearms it in short, regular steps and the escapement is driven by the secondary spring alone, so the force reaching the balance does not follow the mainspring as it runs down. To this calibre 1403 adds an independent deadbeat second: the hand at 6 o'clock stays still until a full second has passed, then jumps, the seconde morte of French watchmaking. Hours and minutes are read off-centre at 3 o'clock and the 42-hour reserve at 12, and the movement is seen through a sapphire case back.
For collectors
The amplitude specification shows what the remontoir is for: 280° dial-up at full wind and the same 280° after 24 hours. It also helps to place a piece in the model's history. The earlier Tourbillon Souverain with remontoir alone, which this construction replaced, is the one F.P. Journe calls a collector's timepiece, with about a hundred made; deadbeat seconds at 6 o'clock mark the calibre 1403 watch.
Key details
Design and engineering
- Remontoir d'égalitéThe escapement is driven by a secondary spring that the mainspring rearms, which keeps the balance clear of the fall in mainspring torque across the 42 ± 2 hours of reserve.
- Deadbeat secondsThe seconds hand advances once per second and stands still between steps, so it shows a second only after it has elapsed. F.P. Journe presents it as a means of reading time more exactly.
- Balance and escapementFree-sprung balance with four inertia weights, flat Anachron balance spring with Breguet overcoil, pinned stud; 15-tooth escape wheel with a 90° anchor fork.
- DialSteel circles screwed to the face, a patented F.P. Journe feature, frame the guilloché silver dials for the hours and minutes at 3 o'clock, the seconds at 6 and the reserve at 12.
- FinishingCircular stripes on the bridges, Geneva waves on the base plate, polished and bevelled screw heads, pegs with polished rounded ends.
Calibre 1403
- Manual winding, 20 turns of the crown, two-position crown
- 18K rose gold, 26 jewels
- Tourbillon with remontoir d'égalité and deadbeat seconds
- 21,600 vibrations per hour (3 Hz)
- Power reserve 42 ± 2 hours
- 32.40 mm overall diameter, 7.20 mm high
- 193 parts in the movement, 218 cased on leather strap
The reference
Technical specifications
| Reference | TN |
|---|---|
| Collection | Black Label |
| Calibre | Calibre 1403 |
| Movement | Manual winding |
| Movement material | 18K rose gold |
| Functions | Hours and minutes at 3h00, Sub-seconds at 6h00, Power reserve at 12h00 |
| Case material | Platinum |
| Dial | blackened Gold and whitened guilloché Silver |
| Strap | Leather strap |
| Jewels | 26 |
| Power reserve | 42 ± 2 hours |
| Frequency | 21'600 VPH, 3 Hz |
| Distribution | Black Label: offered only to owners of an F.P. Journe watch, through F.P. Journe boutiques and Espaces. |
| Status | No longer in the current collection |
Buying with HYPA
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- Registered Australian dealerHYPA International Pty Ltd · Registered Victorian second-hand dealer, Registration No. SHD-0018017.
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